Aarong to celebrate 40th founding anniv on Thursday

24 Oct,2018

BDchronicle:Lifestyle retail chain Aarong, reputed for linking artisanal products with urban sensibility, is set to celebrate its 40th founding anniversary on Thursday at the Army Stadium in the city.The event titled ‘Aarong 40 years Festival’ will focus on the rich heritage of country’s crafts and other artisanal products that would be opened for people of all walks, said senior director of Aarong and other BRAC enterprises Tamara Abed, at a press conference on Tuesday in Dhaka.The three-day celebration scheduled for October 25 to 26 would comprise of hand-made product exhibition, workshops, award giving ceremony, and the much anticipated fashion shows and a concert, she said.The participants would experience live crafts demonstrations and take part in workshops with artisans across the country at 11 different craft exhibitions that would showcase products made of silk, mud, wood and bamboo besides Jamdani, natural paints and embroideries. It would also be an occasion to recognize craftsperson and entrepreneurs around the country, for whom there would be 40 prizes in 40 categories for their outstanding contributions in the sectors, they said.Besides, photos relating to various campaigns from 1980 to the presents day would be displayed surveying the evolution of fashion in the last 40 years. Cultural affairs minister Asaduzzaman Noor is expected to inaugurate the event as chief guest on October 25, while BRAC founder and Chairperson Fazle Hasan Abed and other officials of BRAC and Aarong would be present, said a company official.‘Aarong is the collaborative work of the people of Bangladesh— from women in rural areas, to master craftspersons, to designers and administrators,’ said Tamara Abed. Aarong has grown up with the country and the festival is a celebration of that special bond, the memories of 40 years and homage to the artisans who kept the heritage alive, she said. The production of craft is in decline, not only in our country but also across the world, said Aarong design consultant Chandra Shekhar Saha, who has been instrumental in threading the achievements of the rural artisans with that of the designers of crafts, fashion and other lifestyle products.But it should be kept alive as it represents the Bengali nation, he said adding that Aarong from its inception has been contributing to the promotion of artisanal products. Shekhar feels that the government should take some crucial steps to boost up the craft industry in the country.Aarong chief operating officer Md Ashraful Alam was also present at the press conference.